Countries across Europe could soon ban plastic bags in a bid to meet ambitious new reduction targets.

Previous international attempts to banish throwaway bags handed out at tills were blocked by British ministers who claimed the controls would breach free trade laws.

But under new proposals, EU nations will have the power to either ban or impose charges on disposable carrier bags in a bid to reduce their use by 80 per cent.

Britons could soon be banned from taking their shopping home in plastic bags after the EU set new targets to reduce their use

Two months ago Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced shoppers in England will be charged 5p for plastic bags in supermarkets and other large stores from 2015 onwards, in response to the Daily Mail's Banish The Bags campaign.

'Every year, more than 8 billion plastic bags end up as litter in Europe, causing enormous environmental damage.

'Some Member States have already achieved great results in terms of reducing their use of plastic bags. If others followed suit we could reduce today's overall consumption in the European Union by as much as 80 per cent.'

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has already set a minimum 5p charge for plastic bags from 2015 in response to the Mail's Banish the Bags campaign

Officials estimate it will take 12 months for the rules to be approved, and then Britain and other EU nations will be given a further three years to implement them.

The bags which litter our coastline can end up thousands of miles away, sealing the fate of turtles, whales and seals which mistake them for jellyfish, a staple part of their diet.

Coastal birds such as seagulls are also at risk because they are carnivores whose diet consists of almost any food they can scavenge.

A 2004 study of wildlife in the North Sea found 96 per cent of dead sea birds had fragments of plastic in their stomachs.

Dr Laura Foster, the Marine Conservation Society's pollution programme manager, said: 'The EU has provided further weight behind campaigns such as Break the Bag Habit by announcing a proposal to reduce the annual 100 billion plastic bags used in the EU.

'Member states are required to adopt measures to reduce consumption of plastic carrier bags with a thickness below 50 microns.

'This is superb news and is an excellent step to help reduce marine litter and litter in general across the EU states.'

A Defra spokesperson said: 'Plastic bags are a blight on our towns and countryside which is why we announced earlier in the year that we're bringing in a five pence mandatory charge for single use plastic carrier bags from Autumn 2015.'